Aldi UK goes from humble beginnings to national favourite status: this week's biggest retail technology stories
It's Friday, the weekend is almost upon us, so let’s kick back and reflect on another eventful week for the retail systems space. Here's your briefing on the most important stories from the past few days, including Aldi UK, Shopify, Manychat, Currys, InPost, Vinted, Alipay, Tesco, GS1 UK, and the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.
1. Aldi UK Chief Exec Giles Hurley reflects on big retail technology changes as firm crosses 1,000 stores mark
In a LinkedIn post, he said: "In 1990, we opened our first store in the UK with a simple idea: bring great value and quality to communities. There were no barcode scanners, no middle aisle, and certainly no Kevin the Carrot! Back then, our store managers wore white coats, and if you needed to update a price you reached for a pen and showcased your best handwriting."
Fast forward to today, and Aldi UK has grown to over 1,050 stores across Britain.
Hurley commented: "We've seen some big changes, like the debut of our now famous Specialbuys, and the shift from handwritten price cards to electronic shelf labels. But despite all of these innovations, the things that matter the most to us haven’t changed: amazing quality products, at simple everyday low prices - made possible by our incredible colleagues and supported by the loyal customers who’ve been with us every step of the way."
He concluded: "We’re incredibly proud to have been part of British communities for 35 years, and we believe everyone should have access to an Aldi store nearby. From our humble beginnings to our award winning products and middle aisle that’s become a national favourite, we’re still the same Aldi - committed to providing award winning quality at the lowest possible prices. Here’s to the next 35 years and beyond!"
2. Big step forward for Shopify and OpenAI developed ChatGTP as the pair enter into retail partnership
OpenAI is gearing up to add an online shopping experience to ChatGPT via an integration with Shopify.
New code strings in ChatGPT’s public web bundle, “buy_now”, price and shipping fields, product-offer ratings, and “shopify_checkout_url”, indicate that OpenAI is wiring a native purchase flow into the assistant.
The snippet suggests a hand off to Shopify’s hosted checkout, implying a formal tie-up rather than a generic affiliate link.
According to Brittain Ladd, a supply chain consultant and former Amazon executive: “This is a big step forward for Shopify and ChatGTP. The changes to the coding will let purchases complete inside the chat instead of jumping to external retail sites, turning ChatGPT into a full-funnel shopping tool. When a purchase is made, all shipping is managed via Shopify’s platform.”
“OpenAI has been testing e-commerce actions in its Operator research agent, which already books travel and places grocery orders for Pro users. Want to buy a plane ticket? Use ChatGPT. Why visit Expedia or another travel site? Agents will easily be able to find the best flight at the best price. I stated in a LinkedIn post a few weeks ago that OpenAI has the potential of severely disrupting DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Instacart, by allowing agents to place orders directly with a restaurant and a grocery retailer..”
He adds: “I remain convinced that OpenAI has the potential to become one of the largest e-commerce platforms in the world. Why? Because consumers will begin their product search using ChatGPT and utilise ChatGTP to make the purchase.”
“ChatGPT will likely begin to generate billions in advertising revenue as brands divert their advertising spend to OpenAI. Why? Search. If consumers make ChatGPT their go to site for product searches, advertising is sure to follow. ChatGTP will likely look massively different in 2026 than it looks in 2025. The user experience will be much different to maximise advertising and content monetisation.”
3. 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards opens for entries, with winners announced at Central London event in October
The seventh edition of the RTIH Innovation Awards, sponsored by 3D Cloud, EdTech Innovation Hub, and Retail Technology Show, is now open for submissions.
The awards celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.
Our latest winners will be revealed at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Thursday, 16th October.
Key dates
Friday, 12th September: Award entry deadline
Tuesday, 16th September: 2025 finalists revealed
Wednesday, 17th September - Wednesday, 1st October: Judging days
Thursday, 16th October: Winners announced at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Thursday, 16th October.
4. Manychat bags $140m for AI driven customer engagement on social and messaging platforms
Manychat, a specialist in onversational AI and automation across social and messaging platforms, has announced a $140 million growth capital raise led by Summit Partners.
This brings its total funding to $163.3 million since its founding in 2015, including its first institutional investment of $18 million in 2019 by Bessemer Venture Partners.
Manychat says that it powers billions of messages annually on Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and other platforms, helping more than a million businesses in 170+ countries automate customer interactions, maximise engagement, and unlock monetisation potential.
"Manychat was founded with a mission to help businesses grow by building meaningful customer relationships,” says Mike Yan, Co-founder and CEO at Manychat. “We also take pride in our ability to package and simplify new foundational technologies for the benefit of our customers.”
“The more useful and effective our technology becomes, the more our customers can focus on delivering exceptional value in their space. This new funding, along with Summit Partners’ guidance and expertise, will support our continued innovation in the realm of agentic AI and intelligent automation, helping our team and our products deliver true value for businesses and creators around the world."
Manychat, which claims to be a profitable company, will use the funding to accelerate its global expansion, invest further in R&D, enhance marketing and customer support capabilities, and advance AI agent features across new and existing channels.
5. Technology retailer Currys notches up first big social engagement win via dedicated Instagram gaming account
Currys recently launched a social media account dedicated to gaming, and has now reported its first big engagement win.
In a LinkedIn post, Dan Rubel, Brand & Marketing Director at Currys, said: "We've have stepped up our social game... on gaming. We now have a dedicated social account on gaming - which makes a lot of sense given the breadth of interesting stuff to talk about in the world of gaming (and given the tribal nature of gamers)."
He added: "And last week we had our first really big engagement win, a post that appeared on our Instagram gaming account generating two million views and 120k likes on the post (plus >55k likes in the comments)."
"It’s a cracking post, jumping on not one but two trends to shout about how customers can pre-order the hot new Nintendo Switch2 at Currys. Well done to Ryan Todd who heads up our social crew (part of Sarah Leat’s wider marketing, promo, social and PR group). And a big thanks to Rickesh Solanki and Fabric Social who are the orchestrators of our gaming engagement plans."
6. InPost set to handle Vinted parcels in UK, Poland, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy, Portugal, Spain
InPost has inked an eight country, multi-year delivery contract with Vinted, which will will run through to the end of 2027 and will see the former handling the latter’s parcels across the UK, Poland, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Portugal, and Spain, including services through Vinted’s Mondial Relay unit.
Sellers of second-hand items on Vinted’s platform will be able to use InPost’s network of more than 82,000 lockers and PUDO points.
Rafał Brzoska, Founder and CEO at InPost, comments: "We are delighted to strengthen our partnership with Vinted, demonstrating our ability to support the largest marketplaces and merchants across Europe with our extensive out-of-home delivery network.”
“This agreement underscores our commitment to providing reliable and more sustainable delivery solutions, and we look forward to contributing to Vinted’s continued success. This partnership is also a testament to our strategic vision of becoming the number one player in European logistics. Commercial wins, such as the contract with Vinted, are key to InPost's strategy and help us further strengthen international presence, including in the UK, where we recently elevated our business through the acquisition of Yodel."
Vytautas Atkočaitis, Vice President at Vinted Go, says: "We are excited to continue our collaboration with InPost and Mondial Relay across multiple European markets. This partnership aligns perfectly with our commitment to providing our users with efficient, affordable delivery solutions."
7. Industry first as Tesco partners with GS1 UK to test out QR codes in place of traditional barcodes in select stores
As part of an expanded pilot, Tesco is trialling QR codes powered by GS1 in a small number of stores.
This replaces traditional barcodes on 12 own brand meat and produce lines in a small number of locations across southern England.
Developed in collaboration with GS1 UK and ten supplier partners, the initiative is primarily focused on capturing use by dates and batch numbers.
This is pitched as the first trial of its kind and scale by a UK supermarket. The focus here is on core operational data and laying the foundation for future use cases, such as linking to allergen information, sourcing and sustainability credentials, and recycling guidance.
“While it’s still early days, we’re already seeing the benefits of connecting our products to dynamic digital information that will help customers to know more about the products on our shelves,” says Isabela De Pedro, Supply Chain Development & Change Director at Tesco.
”As well as improving the customer experience and unlocking new supply chain value, we are testing how QR codes can help Tesco with issues including traceability, compliance, sustainability and shelf-edge communication.”
Iain Walker, Director of Industry Engagement at GS1 UK, says: “This trial is a clear signal that the retail industry is entering a new chapter. QR codes powered by GS1 allow brands and retailers to share richer, more trusted information - at the Point of Sale, at home, or anywhere in between. Tesco is helping to lead the way, demonstrating how digital product identity can unlock both commercial and consumer value.”
8. eBay expands buy now pay later partnership with Klarna to USA following launch in UK and Europe
eBay has announced the expansion of its buy now pay later partnership with Klarna to the US market.
“With more than 2.3 billion listings, eBay is where people come to shop with purpose - whether they’re looking for value, rare finds, or sustainable options such as a refurbished camera, hard to find car part, or a vintage handbag,” says Avritti Khandurie Mittal, VP & General Manager of Global Payments and Financial Services at eBay.
“We are thrilled to expand our global strategic partnership with Klarna to the US. We’ve been very pleased with the positive customer and business impact Klarna has delivered in some of our key markets including the UK and Europe, and we’re now excited to give millions of US shoppers more flexible and affordable ways to pay on eBay.”
The move builds on launches in the UK, Austria, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain in December 2024. Electronics, fashion, and collectibles are some of the most popular categories where eBay shoppers are paying with Klarna.
9. Korean fashion retailer Matin Kim boosts CX as it deploys Proto hologram units at stores
Matin Kim, a South Korean chain, has installed Proto hologram technology at five of its Matin Kim and Hago Haus stores. Hologram models can move and turn 360 degrees to show people various outfits.
The hologram content was produced by Creative Mut, Proto's exclusive partner in Korea. It is the same technology as that used for KPOP's G-Dragon Media Exhibition held in The Hyundai Seoul last month, and at Marie Claire Korea's anniversary celebrations last year.
Proto units have built in cameras, microphones, speakers and touch screens and include AI capabilities. For future projects, special guests will be able to beam into the stores and see and hear and interact with shoppers in real-time. The avatars can also be activated to answer questions for shoppers about products, in any language, using Proto's AI Persona tools.
10. Milestone for Alipay Tap! QR code based contactless payment and customer engagement solution
Alipay Tap!, a QR code-based contactless payment and customer engagement solution introduced by Alipay in China in June 2024, has picked up over 100 million users within an 11 month period.
Users tap their unlocked phone against a merchant’s terminal or an Alipay Tap! Tag, eliminating the need to open an app, scan a code, or click through multiple screens.
Data from early adopters shows the solution also allows merchants to integrate customer engagement tools more seamlessly into the experience. FamilyMart, a nationwide convenience store chain, reports that membership sign-ups at checkout tripled post-integration.
According to Cyril Han Xinyi, CEO at Ant Group, the company has committed RMB 10 billion to grow the Alipay Tap! ecosystem.
“From leadership in payment innovation to extensive investments in agentic AI solutions, Alipay is accelerating the two flywheels for its growth: digital payment and 360° digital connectivity,” said Han in a message to Alipay's 80 million merchant partners at the 2025 Alipay Tap! Ecosystem Summit. “We believe Alipay Tap! and more similar exciting new initiatives will continue to transform the checkout moment into a wider gateway to enriched consumer experience and merchant business growth.”
The service is also available to international visitors to China, who may now bind their international cards to an Alipay account to pay and travel like a local across the country.
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